We’re now accepting applications for our d.fellowship program during the academic year 2013-14. The focus of the application process this year is to identify and select outstanding Edu*Innovators who will work with our d.K12 Lab Network. We’re looking for mid-career professionals and entrepreneurs with the passion and drive to make real change in education. If you’re dedicated to this mission, read on!

What’s a d.fellowship? Our program is a creative leadership accelerator for professionals with the potential to scale their expertise and incorporate new ways of working. As an education-focused d.fellow, you’ll receive a full-time salary and benefits to commit to a 10-month experience during the academic year. During this time, you’ll develop and launch an initiative using the resources of our d.K12 Lab Network, the d.school, Stanford and the Silicon Valley community.

How does it work? This fully funded, full-time intensive includes both residency periods at the d.school to learn and strengthen design thinking leadership skills, here in sunny Palo Alto, CA, and periods in the field to gain insights and test out prototypes of your ideas. We imagine you’ll split your time about 50/50, but of course that will vary depending on your project.

Can I keep my current job during my d.fellowship? In some cases, depending on the partner organization, the fellow may stay on their employer’s payroll and work closely on prototypes and program development, but be relieved of regular duties. (For example, a classroom teacher could stay employed by their school or district during the fellowship, but would not perform regular classroom duties.)

Here’s a timeline of what to expect:

Fall Quarter: Sept. 3 – Dec. 7Focus on Learning & Leading
Fellows dive deep into the practice of design thinking by participating in and leading experiential learning. They also take part in weekly seminars that feature Stanford faculty and outside experts in leadership, entrepreneurship, creativity, ethnography, scenario planning and more.

Winter Quarter: Jan. 7 – March 15, 2014Focus on Leading & Doing
Fellows rev through the design thinking cycle (Empathy, Define, Iterate, Prototype & Test) to sharpen their prototypes. Fellowship events continue when the fellows are not in the field.

Spring Quarter: April 1 – June 30, 2014Focus on Doing
Using what they’ve learned during the winter and fall, fellows refine their projects and launch them into the world.

What type of people are you looking for? The d.fellows are restless experts, high-performers with an instinct for the edge, self-starters with an impulse for change and the savvy to make it real. Read about our current class and our program leadership here. Read about our d.K12 Lab Network here. We are not seeking applicants outside of the education space at this time.

Possible Areas of Focus (some things we’d love for d.fellows in education to work on)Future of High School: How might we build a high school model that deeply engages students in real-world projects that build the design thinking, entrepreneurship, and character skills and competencies they need for life + work in the 21st Century?Future of Blended: How might we leverage technology to build on and develop approaches to personalized learning in, out and in-between school structures?Challenge-Based Learning: How might we use design thinking to lead the wave of challenge-based learning platforms?
Common Core + X: How might we lead the way to deeply engaging the common core and to building performance-based assessments and other tools and curricula that support those standards?Redesigning the Role of the Teacher: Blended, personalized, ecosystem-orientated and challenge-based learning all fundamentally shift the traditional role of the teacher. How might we reinvent teacher roles, teacher training and development, and school structures to meet and shape this future?

Why should I apply? Do you have a big idea for how to change teaching + learning? The d.fellowship program gives you the space and resources to rigorously pursue your leadership potential. Rather than come in for a year, study something new, then go back and practice it, you will learn by doing all along.

So it’s an accelerator? Yes, and it’s focused on you, not just your current big idea. At the d.school, we aim to unlock the potential of innovators, knowing that often the innovations will follow. You might be at the transition point in your career between talented practitioner and transformative leader. You might be learning to evolve and scale your expertise into a contribution that is potentially much greater than your individual output to date. If we catch you at the cusp of this transition, if we support you, challenge you and accelerate your leadership, what might that mean for your future? Let’s find out.

Here’s what we need:

• A current CV
• A 1000-word story about who you are and what’s led you to our doorstep
• A 500-word statement explaining your vision for the impact you want to have in the Education sector and the initiative you’d like to incubate at the d.K12 Lab
• A one-minute video on what you need to realize your potential

DEADLINE TO APPLY IS 11:59 pm PST on Monday, May 13. You must send all application materials to fellowships@dschool.stanford.edu by that deadline to be considered for the next round in the selection process. PLEASE PUT YOUR NAME ON EACH PIECE OF YOUR APPLICATION. We’ll accept file formats including .docx, .pdf, .mp4 and .mov.

Open application finalists, focused on the Education sector for 2013-14, will be chosen the week of May 27. All applicants will be notified at that time. Finalist interviews will take place in early June, and d.fellows will be chosen shortly after. The fellowship begins Sept. 3.